Nobleman Orders His Enemies Brought Before Himby CBPepper
19:27Luke 19:27
But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
The command closes the parable of the entrusted money, where a man goes to a far country to receive a kingdom and on his return calls his servants to account for what was put in their hands, and orders those who would not have him reign over them to be destroyed before him. What was entrusted is capital advanced by the Lord to every servant according to capability, including money, property, mind, body, time, gifts, offerings, and all light and spiritual advantage, which remains his own. Faithful stewardship is to put it diligently to work for his interests and glory, trading and increasing it day by day to advance his kingdom and save souls, which itself enlarges capability, character, and fitness for greater trust. At his coming he will scrutinize every talent to see whether it was improved so he receives his own with increase, justifying his servants by faith but judging them by works of love, with reward corresponding to faithful use. There is no second probation after the time of trust is ended, so burying the talent in slothful neglect and refusing his reign brings loss of what was given, loss of heaven, and eternal separation from God.
Parable Setting and Faithful Stewardship
This command closes the parable of the pounds, the parable of the entrusted money, about a man who goes into a far country to receive a kingdom and then returns. At the ruler's return he calls his servants to account for how they used what he entrusted to them, and the reckoning applies to the use of God's goods, with the faithful receiving reward. The parable calls all to answer for faithful service and development of Christian character, since church membership alone does not secure entrance into the kingdom, while some presentations of its stewardship lesson that what the king entrusts must be used faithfully to advance his kingdom and to manage abilities and means in his work leave the judgment of the enemies unexplained.
The pound is capital advanced by the Lord to each servant to be traded diligently for him, and no gain could be made without the first deposit and no interest without the principal. Christ entrusts to each servant gifts and responsibilities to use in his service until he returns, with talents in trust and work given to every man from the lowliest to those in highest trust, proportioned to varied capabilities, so none is excused and there can be no idlers in his vineyard. What is entrusted includes money, houses, lands, property, mind, soul, body, spirit, strength, time, gifts, offerings, the light of truth and all spiritual advantages, all held as a loan from Christ who purchased them, and the property remains his own. Even those given little are responsible, and the lowliest talent and humblest service becomes a consecrated gift when employed to do the master's service and promote his glory, while greater learning, talents and money only increase and intensify responsibility. Success in trading comes from him and all praise and glory belongs to him, with the faithful servant taking no credit but acknowledging what was delivered to him.
A steward represents his master and must take responsibility for the master's interests, acting as the master would, handling not his own goods but the master's entrusted capital as custodian of the master's goods and steward of his grace. The trust and position are dignified, but using what was entrusted for selfish advantage perverts that trust, and refusing his charge makes one an unfaithful steward. There is to be no control by human inclination and desire, no selfish extravagance, and no misuse or misapplication for selfish use or self-glorification and indulgence of impulse, with houses, land and money to be used for God's work and the good of others rather than buried or spent for selfish ends. Wisdom is to be sought from God in prayer, and money, houses and lands are to be used as his goods to advance his work and build his kingdom without using them to glorify self or indulge impulse.
Faithful stewardship requires working while responsible, putting what is given to work, trading on the Lord's money and investing and increasing it day by day and hour by hour according to ability to carry forward his interests. Every gift of God is an entrusted talent to be appreciated and put to the very best use, with mind, soul and strength connected with God and controlled by the Holy Spirit so that men and women become laborers together with God in molding human character after the divine similitude. The more the talents are exercised the greater will be the increase of capability, in mental and moral improvement and growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, improving in character and ability according to privileges and opportunities to become more and better qualified, complete workers. By this individual work of earnest effort in trading upon them and thus increasing them, disciples who cannot remain slothful obtain power and peace in Christ, watching their opportunity to represent the truth to others and win souls, since unless the seed sown struggles above the soil springing up into life it will lose all its power to germinate.
To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it in the earth is to do nothing, to idle in the marketplace and let souls die as a slothful church member, while hoarding the Lord's goods, trifling with time, privileges and opportunities, slothfulness and selfishly withholding what belongs to him retards his work. Those entrusted with spiritual advantages must use them faithfully and answer to God, and those who have neglected their gifts and sacrificed their spirituality, as well as those who refuse his charge, will be called to answer as unfaithful stewards.
What is entrusted must be used to advance his kingdom by ministering effectually to others in making Christ known to a world where souls are perishing out of Christ, which work of enlightening others and winning souls belongs not to ministers alone but to all who profess the truth. To unearth the talent and put it out to the exchangers is to educate doing-nothing church members to become diligent laborers in the harvest field, whose use develops men for positions of trust and influence and accomplishes great good for the master. Faithful stewards use their means for God's cause while they are responsible for them so they can return what was lent with its increase when called to account, bringing tithes to his treasury and making willing and abundant offerings according as God has prospered. Property is his own and is to be returned to him at once with usury for his glory by cooperating with him in helping suffering institutions and doing good to others, since placing money for afflicted brethren places it in his own hands and gifts large or small are accepted. Talents must also be traded according to ability to carry forward his interests in mission fields to be entered that require means, including the ability to write given in wise providence so that means come into the hands of his stewards to be used wisely and unrestrictedly when and where the Spirit indicates, without shifting stewardship upon any man or set of men.
Final Reckoning and Judgment
At his coming the Lord will scrutinize the use made of every talent to see whether the capital entrusted by God was improved so that he receives his own with usury. The Chief Shepherd himself will be judge, illustrating the great principles that regulate the reckoning, in which his servants are justified by faith and judged by their works. Mere profession of faith in Christ has no value, and nothing counts as genuine except love shown by works. Faith works by love and purifies the soul of moral defilement that it may become a temple for the Lord.
There is no second probation, and to expect another opportunity is a fatal delusion. The time before the master returns is a solemn privilege and sacred trust when destiny is decided for life or for death, and an opportunity for service in trading diligently on the Lord's money. Probation may end and the account be fixed, when at his coming he reckons with his servants and they must give an account of what they have done with his goods. Day by day and hour by hour people are building for the last great day, and as responsible beings working for time and for eternity they are making their records in the books of heaven and preparing their reward or punishment.
Each person is judged according to what was entrusted and how it was used, with the owner investigating stewardship and requiring interest according to entrusted capital and the measure of the gift. Faithful improvement and doubling what was put out are commended, reward corresponds to faithful work and is proportionate to work, and he expects results from everyone. The faithful receive a reward and crowns of immortal glory. Christ gives every man according as his work shall be.
Neglect or abuse brings punishment. The slothful servant who did nothing with his pound lost his soul. Refusing to use God-given abilities faithfully leads to loss of what was entrusted, loss of heaven, and eternal separation from God. Those who would not have Christ reign over them and refused his leading are destroyed before him.
Those who refused his reign will face him on his coronation day when he appears in glory surrounded by the redeemed. They will see his glory and the once thorn-crowned head crowned with a diadem of glory. His faithful people will bear the name declaring the Lord as their righteousness.
The command closes the parable of the entrusted money, where a man goes to a far country to receive a kingdom and on his return calls his servants to account for what was put in their hands, and orders those who would not have him reign over them to be destroyed before him. What was entrusted is capital advanced by the Lord to every servant according to capability, including money, property, mind, body, time, gifts, offerings, and all light and spiritual advantage, which remains his own. Faithful stewardship is to put it diligently to work for his interests and glory, trading and increasing it day by day to advance his kingdom and save souls, which itself enlarges capability, character, and fitness for greater trust. At his coming he will scrutinize every talent to see whether it was improved so he receives his own with increase, justifying his servants by faith but judging them by works of love, with reward corresponding to faithful use. There is no second probation after the time of trust is ended, so burying the talent in slothful neglect and refusing his reign brings loss of what was given, loss of heaven, and eternal separation from God.
Parable Setting and Faithful Stewardship
This command closes the parable of the pounds, the parable of the entrusted money, about a man who goes into a far country to receive a kingdom and then returns. At the ruler's return he calls his servants to account for how they used what he entrusted to them, and the reckoning applies to the use of God's goods, with the faithful receiving reward. The parable calls all to answer for faithful service and development of Christian character, since church membership alone does not secure entrance into the kingdom, while some presentations of its stewardship lesson that what the king entrusts must be used faithfully to advance his kingdom and to manage abilities and means in his work leave the judgment of the enemies unexplained.
The pound is capital advanced by the Lord to each servant to be traded diligently for him, and no gain could be made without the first deposit and no interest without the principal. Christ entrusts to each servant gifts and responsibilities to use in his service until he returns, with talents in trust and work given to every man from the lowliest to those in highest trust, proportioned to varied capabilities, so none is excused and there can be no idlers in his vineyard. What is entrusted includes money, houses, lands, property, mind, soul, body, spirit, strength, time, gifts, offerings, the light of truth and all spiritual advantages, all held as a loan from Christ who purchased them, and the property remains his own. Even those given little are responsible, and the lowliest talent and humblest service becomes a consecrated gift when employed to do the master's service and promote his glory, while greater learning, talents and money only increase and intensify responsibility. Success in trading comes from him and all praise and glory belongs to him, with the faithful servant taking no credit but acknowledging what was delivered to him.
A steward represents his master and must take responsibility for the master's interests, acting as the master would, handling not his own goods but the master's entrusted capital as custodian of the master's goods and steward of his grace. The trust and position are dignified, but using what was entrusted for selfish advantage perverts that trust, and refusing his charge makes one an unfaithful steward. There is to be no control by human inclination and desire, no selfish extravagance, and no misuse or misapplication for selfish use or self-glorification and indulgence of impulse, with houses, land and money to be used for God's work and the good of others rather than buried or spent for selfish ends. Wisdom is to be sought from God in prayer, and money, houses and lands are to be used as his goods to advance his work and build his kingdom without using them to glorify self or indulge impulse.
Faithful stewardship requires working while responsible, putting what is given to work, trading on the Lord's money and investing and increasing it day by day and hour by hour according to ability to carry forward his interests. Every gift of God is an entrusted talent to be appreciated and put to the very best use, with mind, soul and strength connected with God and controlled by the Holy Spirit so that men and women become laborers together with God in molding human character after the divine similitude. The more the talents are exercised the greater will be the increase of capability, in mental and moral improvement and growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, improving in character and ability according to privileges and opportunities to become more and better qualified, complete workers. By this individual work of earnest effort in trading upon them and thus increasing them, disciples who cannot remain slothful obtain power and peace in Christ, watching their opportunity to represent the truth to others and win souls, since unless the seed sown struggles above the soil springing up into life it will lose all its power to germinate.
To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it in the earth is to do nothing, to idle in the marketplace and let souls die as a slothful church member, while hoarding the Lord's goods, trifling with time, privileges and opportunities, slothfulness and selfishly withholding what belongs to him retards his work. Those entrusted with spiritual advantages must use them faithfully and answer to God, and those who have neglected their gifts and sacrificed their spirituality, as well as those who refuse his charge, will be called to answer as unfaithful stewards.
What is entrusted must be used to advance his kingdom by ministering effectually to others in making Christ known to a world where souls are perishing out of Christ, which work of enlightening others and winning souls belongs not to ministers alone but to all who profess the truth. To unearth the talent and put it out to the exchangers is to educate doing-nothing church members to become diligent laborers in the harvest field, whose use develops men for positions of trust and influence and accomplishes great good for the master. Faithful stewards use their means for God's cause while they are responsible for them so they can return what was lent with its increase when called to account, bringing tithes to his treasury and making willing and abundant offerings according as God has prospered. Property is his own and is to be returned to him at once with usury for his glory by cooperating with him in helping suffering institutions and doing good to others, since placing money for afflicted brethren places it in his own hands and gifts large or small are accepted. Talents must also be traded according to ability to carry forward his interests in mission fields to be entered that require means, including the ability to write given in wise providence so that means come into the hands of his stewards to be used wisely and unrestrictedly when and where the Spirit indicates, without shifting stewardship upon any man or set of men.
Final Reckoning and Judgment
At his coming the Lord will scrutinize the use made of every talent to see whether the capital entrusted by God was improved so that he receives his own with usury. The Chief Shepherd himself will be judge, illustrating the great principles that regulate the reckoning, in which his servants are justified by faith and judged by their works. Mere profession of faith in Christ has no value, and nothing counts as genuine except love shown by works. Faith works by love and purifies the soul of moral defilement that it may become a temple for the Lord.
There is no second probation, and to expect another opportunity is a fatal delusion. The time before the master returns is a solemn privilege and sacred trust when destiny is decided for life or for death, and an opportunity for service in trading diligently on the Lord's money. Probation may end and the account be fixed, when at his coming he reckons with his servants and they must give an account of what they have done with his goods. Day by day and hour by hour people are building for the last great day, and as responsible beings working for time and for eternity they are making their records in the books of heaven and preparing their reward or punishment.
Each person is judged according to what was entrusted and how it was used, with the owner investigating stewardship and requiring interest according to entrusted capital and the measure of the gift. Faithful improvement and doubling what was put out are commended, reward corresponds to faithful work and is proportionate to work, and he expects results from everyone. The faithful receive a reward and crowns of immortal glory. Christ gives every man according as his work shall be.
Neglect or abuse brings punishment. The slothful servant who did nothing with his pound lost his soul. Refusing to use God-given abilities faithfully leads to loss of what was entrusted, loss of heaven, and eternal separation from God. Those who would not have Christ reign over them and refused his leading are destroyed before him.
Those who refused his reign will face him on his coronation day when he appears in glory surrounded by the redeemed. They will see his glory and the once thorn-crowned head crowned with a diadem of glory. His faithful people will bear the name declaring the Lord as their righteousness.